The ‘Death of a Soldier’ story in a poem

John W. (“Johnny”) Linton (1907-1944) died in World War II leaving behind his wife, Virginia, their son Robert and a large extended family in Paint Bank and beyond.

Pam Dudding-Burch Contributing writer

It’s been said that “All is fair in love and war.” For some, however, life just doesn’t seem fair. In fact, sometimes life can bring about events that are truly heart-wrenching such as war.

Mary Katherine Williams, a resident of Paint Bank, Virginia, became captivated by stories of people from her area who fought in a war and sacrificed their lives as well as those who were left behind to pick up the pieces.

Her recently released book “The Ballad of Maggie Tingler and other poems” has been selling off the shelves since her book signing in November at the Paint Bank General Store. It was published by PaintBank Press LLC and printed by Southern Graphics in…